Gender roles/ womanhood/psychosexual development – Characters in this story all go through a change due to the course of the events 1. Eddie – From a position of power to a position where he is unable to control what others around him does, he is no longer in control. Man with traditional beliefs, Beginning

* “My brother. Rodolfo (Rodolfo nods. Marco comes with a certain formal stiffness to Eddie) I want to tell you now, Eddie – when you say go, we will go” – They have respect to Eddie and the “formal stiffness” that Marco has shows his respect, Eddie is in a position of power. Story progresses

* “Unconsciously twisting the newspaper into a tight roll… it suddenly tears in two” – As the story progresses, tensions are built between Rodolfo/Catherine/Eddie and eddie is beginning to lose control of the situation. Use of “unconsciously” suggests that at a subconscious level, Eddie realizes his loss of control and is beginning to feel agitated, unable to suppress his emotions. The word “suddenly” suggests that he had no control over the tear, further suggesting this loss of control (Tension built)(relationship with Catherine) * “He [Eddie] reaches out suddenly, draws her [Catherine] to him, and as she strives to free herself, he kisses her on the mouth” – His longing for Catherine’s affection is shown and he is no longer to suppress that emotion. Links to how Beatrice says he can never have her. His true intentions are exposed. (Obsession with Catherine) End

* “Little bits of laughter even escape him [Eddie] as his eyes are murderous and he cracks his knuckles in his hands with a strange sort of relaxation” - Eddie has lost his mind, and his deteriorating mental faculties is shown by the multitude of emotions that he feels with his murderous eyes, he laughs and even seems relaxed. The true nature of Eddie is shown. He no longer needs to suppress his feelings and finally shows it. “little bits of laughter” can also be interpreted metaphorically, as it could symbolize how he is losing bits of himself. Unpredictability. He is on the brink insanity. * “Marco grabs his [Eddie] arm, turning inwards and pressing it home”- Eddie dies by his own knife, by his own hand. Eddie refuses to let Catherine go, He betrays his community and brings the knife to the fight in the first place. EDDIE IS SELF DESTRUCTIVE. * He [Eddie] moves, wanting to beat down her evident disapproval of him - Shows how Eddie is no longer able to stay in power, he is no longer in control of Beatrice. This also shows the violent nature of Eddie, wanting to “beat down’ her. (relationship between Eddie and Beatrice)

Things to talk about/remember with Eddie
a. He has traditional beliefs, men being strong, and family roles. b. He is the tragic hero with the tragic flaw. Obsession of Catherine (incestuous), cannot admit that he is wrong.

2. Catherine – She first starts off as a girl, that is loyal to Eddie, but as the play goes on, she begins to venture into womanhood and she starts to gain independence, causing her to rebel against Eddie and go towards the love she has for Rodolfo. * “She emerges from the bedroom in low heel shoes” – She changes from high-heeled shoes to low heeled shoes at the command of Eddie, showing his dominance over her. “Low heeled shoes” symbolizes her youth and her obedience. * “She instantly turns and walks towards the bedroom, Eddie grabs her arm” – She turns away from Eddie and to Rodolfo, showing her defiance and turns towards Rodolfo. The father figure for her and the person who has her love changes. Freudian theory of psychosexual development – change of father figure. (Catherine and Eddie) * “Teach me. ... I don't know anything, teach me, Rodolpho, hold me” – This represents her loss of innocence, it has sexual connotations and it is...

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...A Viewfrom the Bridge - Notes
“Just remember, kid, you can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away.”
Eddie speaks this quote in Act I, while eating dinner with Beatrice and Catherine. This quote reveals the irony and madness of Eddie's character. In the beginning of the play, Eddie tells the story of a young boy who called immigration on his relatives. Eddie lectures Catherine about how they must tell no one about Marco and Rodolpho, the illegal immigrant cousins the family will be hiding. However, in the end of the play, Eddie obviously calls Immigration on these cousins, just like the boy. Miller sets up Eddie so vehemently against betrayal that his transition to the betrayer seems illogical. The set-up requires Eddie to undergo a drastic change, if not complete breakdown, within the play to make such a transition. The force of this transition reveals no only his self-destructive madness, but the deepness of his unspoken love for his niece. This quote also reveals that Eddie knows his own fate—he knows what will happen to him, but cannot escape his fate. Much like Alfieri, Eddie watches himself make decisions he knows will not only ruin his reputation in the community, but also possibly kill him. Eddie may know the consequence of what he does, but remains powerless or too mad to stop it.
“His eyes were like tunnels; my first thought was that he had committed a...

...2011 PAST PAPER
Choose a play in which a power struggle is central to the action.
Explain briefly the circumstances of the power struggle and discuss the extent to which it contributes to your appreciation of theme and/or character in the play as a whole.
“A ViewFrom The Bridge” by Arthur Miller is a play in which a power struggle is central to the action. The protagonist, Eddie Carbone struggles to keep his late sister in laws daughter, Catherine from marrying his wife’s illegally immigrated cousin, Rodolpho. Eddie also has a power struggle with his conscience about his inappropriate love for Catherine and his inability to tell anyone. When Eddie’s power struggle is lost he makes the ultimate decision to phone the immigration police on his wife Beatrice’ cousins. The dramatist successfully uses the power struggle, along with characterisation, conflict and key scene to enhance the audience’s appreciation of both the character of Eddie Carbone and the themes within the play such as love, code of honour and justice within the law.
At the beginning of the play, before Marco and Rodolpho have arrived Miller does not make it obvious to the audience that Eddie is in a power struggle with his conscience. Through the use of characterisation Miller paints Eddie as a honourable, decent family man. The audience are made aware of Alfieri’s opinion of Eddie, spoken before the entrance of Marco and Rodolpho:...

...Practice Essay
In the play A Viewfrom the Bridge, Arthur Miller explores the unspoken laws of the Sicilian community and the codes of morality that are defined through Eddie’s inappropriate relationship with his niece Catherine. Eddie refuses to acknowledge or deflect his suppressed sexual desires for Catherine, which ultimately leads to his downfall. After being frequently warned by Mr Alfieri, Eddie remains unaware of the consequences that his passion could have not only on him, but on his relationship with his wife; Beatrice. Eddie also attempts to deter Catherine from Rodolpho, which ruins their relationship, and eventuates in the loss of his name and respect from the community. Eddie cannot confess to his inner passions for Catherine and among other factors, this leads to his downfall.
Eddie Carbone’s lust for his niece is a source for much of the conflict in the play, and this is highlighted when she begins to be taken away from him. The uncontrollable “passion that had moved into his body, like a stranger” is noted by Mr Alfieri, yet he is powerless to stop Eddies desires for his niece; and has to watch the situation run “its bloody course” from afar. The inappropriate relationship between Catherine and Eddie is depicted by Miller in the scene where Catherine leans over Eddie and lights his cigar for him; which is a phallic symbol. After Eddie is pleaded with by...

...Discuss the character and role of Alfieri in A Viewfrom the Bridge paying particular attention to the contributions he makes to the audience’s understanding of the issues of the play.
Alfieri’s character and role in A viewfrom the Bridge is a very important one he sets the scene and environment and is an engaged narrator helping the audience understand the play. Arthur Miller has used the characteristics in Alfieri to help us understand the background information an overlook of the play almost to unfold the play to the audience. Alfieri is the best character to do this because he is a lawyer and should know best, he is unable to take a side which is how he manages to create tension and emotion for the audience and the characters. Alfieri also gives us the feeling that he is retelling the story, because he mostly talks in a past tense.
The play begins and ends with the narrator, the lawyer Alfieri, directly addressing the audience from his office. Alfieri’s opening speech directly relates to the events that will unfold throughout the play, set in Brooklyn. Alfieri tells us how they consider ‘to meet a lawyer or a priest on the street is unlucky. We’re only thought of in connection with disasters, and they’d rather not get too close.’(Miller, p4) This gives the audience a clear understanding that the play is going to be of tragedy and disaster. Alfieri not only discusses...

...﻿“A viewfrom the bridge” Controlled Assessment
Introduction
1. All great tragedies – main character tragic flaw – Eddie, in play we are studying is “obsessive need to control Catherine (niece)
2. In “a viewfrom the bridge” – main character – Eddie – is tragic hero
3. A tragic hero – character in work of fiction – who commits action or mistake – leads to downfall/defeat
4. Eddie – character we study, tragic hero because – inability to let go of Catherine – leads to betraying his family - tragic error of judgement
5. Leads to downfall/ defeat
6. In essay – analysing how Eddie presented in all 3 extracts – examining how develops/ changes as character
“A viewfrom the bridge” - controlled assessment
Act 1 Analysis
Analysis of extract 1 (30 minutes):
This extract – Arthur Miller – uses different language techniques/ stage directions
In order present Eddie, to audience as:
Over protective, supportive, secretive, dominant and well respected.
Over protective
Extract clearly presents us – character, has compulsive need to over protect
Niece - Catherine - to control her and prevent losing her.
Clearly see this when he says:
“You look like one of them girls that went to college. Where you goin?
Shows curiosity on one level
Shows underlying protectiveness and possessiveness
Infers is...

...A viewfrom the bridge - Endings
The first ending chosen by Arthur Miller was actually quite similar to the published one. Eddie assumes his love for Catherine and decides to kiss her once again to make her choose between him and Rodolfo, and stop her from marrying him. He even begs for her to stay and love him. After failing, his next attempt was to go after Marco to get back his name. They both engage in a deadly fight. Eddie died killed by his own knife. His last words were: “Catherine-why?”. This quotation is very suitable for the story, and relates with Eddies feelings for Catherine which he demonstrates in the story. The weakness of this ending is that although Eddie’s actions towards Catherine might be convincing, I think that they are a bit exaggerated, because Eddie always had a tough attitude, and I don’t think that begging fits him. In my opinion, Alfieri should resume the play like he did in the original one. I think this should be done because when the play ends, we get a negative impression of Eddie’s character, so Alfieri’s last words would make us sympathize more with Eddie, saying that although he made mistakes, he is still is capable to love.
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...A Viewfrom the Bridge
- Catherine and Eddie causing tension.
The play ‘A viewfrom the bridge’ is by Arthur Miller. It is set in 1930s America, in an Italian American neighborhood near the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. Miller creates dramatic tension via the use of the characters Eddie and Catherine and their relationship together.
Eddie and Beatrice are Catherine's Aunt and Uncle. Catherine is Beatrice's sister's daughter. Her parents have died so she now lives with them. Eddie and Catherine have a very close relationship and sometimes this can be a problem.
In the beginning we see Catherine telling Eddie she has got a job. This does obviously not please Eddie right from the start.
The first words of the narrator, Alfieri, make us think and almost expect there to be conflict during and throughout the play. "...heard the same complaint and sat there as powerless as I, and watched it run its bloody course." Alfieri's words defiantly make the audience think a feeling of expected tension and give us a sense of anxiety.
Eddie is very protective of Catherine and the thought of her going out to work upsets him. I think maybe Eddie is apprehensive of Catherine growing up, and doesn’t want to think she is old enough to look after herself. When Eddie finds out the location of Catherine's new job he is clearly put out. "Near the Navy Yard, plenty can happen...

...that can not only bring damage to yourself or to others around you. Eddie's whole existence in the play was self denial. What he did not understand or even try to comprehend most reader's knew, even predicted. In “A ViewFrom a Bridge” there is a definite lack of recognition for Eddie's love for Catherine for the most part of the story, I will say that there is both recognition and self denial all in one, they play into each other. I disagree with Aristotle who says , that in order for a play to be tragic the main character has to have a self recognition. That Is the reason do consider this play a tragedy because he main character kept on trying to avoid even the subject because his unconscious was fighting with him to face the truth. “Fences” was more of a tragedy because Troy the main character knew exactly what he was doing. He is not a tragic hero of Aristotle’s concept, but he is a modern tragic. he even admitted to it , he was blunt. Hiis story was ending it was more obviously less of tragedy then Eddie'
Going back to the beginning it seems as if Eddie is in lack of knowledge because he feels as he's just being overprotective of Catherine because he raised her , so he thinks that his feelings are normal. When I first turned the pages of a “A viewFrom The Bridge” I had a feeling that Eddie was actually Catherine's crush or Catherine's was his crush. The recognition is there for...